This invention relates to archery devices. Specifically, it relates to a support device for attachment to a bow and for use in conjunction with an arrow rest.
Developments in the field of archery have resulted in a move away from the use of and reliance on the traditional arrow rest ledge that is found is part of the handle of an archery bow to support the arrow as it is drawn and aimed. Typically, the fletching on the arrow will touch or strike the arrow rest ledge as the arrow leaves the bow and this can result in shooting inaccuracies. This would be true whether the shooting is at targets in a competitive environment or in the field during hunting. The move is toward a more sophisticated, narrower, and less intrusive arrow rest. The narrow or minimal arrow rest is desirable because it means that there is a minimal contact of the arrow and its support as the arrow is drawn and released. But, the problem with using the smallest possible arrow rest is that before the arrow is drawn back, prior to release, the arrow can fall off the arrow rest because of the influence of wind or movement whether the archer is shooting at targets or hunting. When the arrow falls off, the shooter must take the time to replace it. In a timed target shooting event, this will tend to put further pressure on the shooter. If the shooter feels that the arrow is not stable on the arrow rest, it will be distracting and keep the shooter from giving their full attention to hitting the target.
The need to retain the arrow on the arrow rest or replace the arrow on the arrow rest, has lead to the development of a number of devices for that purpose. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,603,309 to Sheliga discloses a manually operated arrow holder and replacer which is operated by a moveable lever that mechanically links to a replacer which is moved into and out of an arrow holding position by the manually operated lever. In the non-holding position, the replacer acts like a cradle to catch the arrow if it falls off the arrow rest, while moving the lever will move the replacer to a vertical orientation to replace the arrow back on the arrow rest. The design operates by moving the replacer into a flat horizontal position when shooting and requires manipulation of the lever with one of the hands on the bow. U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,502 to Ray discloses the use of support legs mounted to the exterior side wall of a handle visor section of an archery bow where the support legs are used in conjunction with an alignment leg to guide an arrow between the guide legs and the alignment leg. U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,356 to Chappell discloses an arrow holder which has a trigger operated at the front of the handle and a retainer that holds the arrow against the bow as the arrow is drawn. Pressing a finger pull causes the retainer to rotate away from the arrow before the drawn arrow is released. U.S. Pat. No. 4,827,895 to Troncoso, Jr. teaches an arrow rest used in conjunction with a second device which is in the form of a blade bent up and forked or notched to blocking an arrow shaft that gripping it to prevent the arrow from rolling it off the rest. The blade is designed to be easily flipped down and out of the way when the vanes of an arrow just shot by the bow strike it.
Additional examples of support devices used in association with arrow rests and which function like those discussed earlier include U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,005 to Schiff; U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,323 to Townley; U.S. Pat. No. 6,035,842 to Bradley; U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,362 to Cook; U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,699 to Gerber; U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,530 to Van Drielen; U.S. Pat. No. 5,235,958 to Laffin; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,007 to Saunders.
While most of these patents recognize that some devices are necessary to stabilize the arrow and hold it in position prior to its release, they also recognize that if the device remains in position, they will interfere with the flight of the arrow or produce some contact such as with the fletching which can change the flight of the arrow. Therefore, these devices have been developed with a lot of sophistication. For example, these devices rely on the movement of the arrow or strings to trigger the release of the holder or guide device. Alternatively, these devices rely on manually operated trigger devices that are operated by the archer and located near the handle or riser of the bow to move the retention device from the path of the arrow just prior to its release. The problem with these devices is that the additional step that the archer must take is distracting and the physical step of triggering imparts unnecessary motion during the shooting process. Also, the triggering of the release of the holder imparts motion as well.
Arrow rests which minimize the contact with the arrow while providing support have generally fallen into two categories. These include fixed arrow rests and fall away or drop away arrow rests. Examples of fixed arrow rests providing nominal contact include U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,919 to Davis; U.S. Pat. No. 6,021,769 to Troncoso; U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,381 to Mizek; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,251 to Harwath et al. These type of rests are not absolutely fixed in that they are usually spring tensioned and adjustable depending upon the arrows being shot and other factors. Further, the arrow rest is not necessarily a single support, but could be such. Often, the arrow rest may consist of two support pieces that are spaced apart and allow the fletching on the arrow to shoot through the gap.
The “fall away” or “drop away” arrow rest supporting the arrow in a manner similar to the fixed arrow rest but operates by having the arrow rest is fixed to a rotating shaft. The shaft will rotate usually using an actuator cord tied to, for example, the tuning strings of a compound bow. As the arrow and tuning strings are drawn back, the actuator cord is also drawn rearward, causing the support shaft for the arrow rest to rotate which, in turn, causes the arrow rest that is fixed to the support shaft to move and raise the support point for the arrow. The arrow rest will rise from a generally horizontal orientation toward a more vertical orientation through an arc of approximately 45°. When the arrow is released, the tension on the actuator cord is released, and the arrow rest moves back in a direction of the riser. This is accomplished by a spring, magnets, or similar devices that go into compression due to the pull of the cord and the compressive force acts to move the arrow rest when the tension of the cord is released. This allows the arrow rest to fall or drop away from the arrow back to its rest position. The arrow which is now released in flight has nothing in its path to touch or interfere with its flight. Examples of fall away arrow rests include U.S. Pat. No. 6,044,832 to Piersons, Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,528 to Eckert; U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,635 to Evans; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,492 to Savage.